Cotton – Although plant bug populations remain lighter that usual, we are now seeing treatment levels in many fields. It’s time to switch to the drop cloth for best results. The treatment threshold for tarnished plant bug beginning at first flower is 3 tarnished plant bugs per drop cloth. You should maintain this threshold until about NAWF5+250 DD60s, at which time Continue reading
While May brought a great deal of rain, June and July have been dry for much of West Tennessee. We are already beginning to see the impacts on cotton growth and development. While we still have very good cotton yield potential, we need a good soaking rain in the coming weeks. This blog highlights impacts of drought on cotton during the growth stage, provides general information on scheduling irrigation and highlights a few scheduling methods.
Ideally, the soil profile needs to provide sufficient plant available water throughout the blooming period. As we begin to move towards the permanent wilting point during the blooming window, fruit retention may begin to decline and maturity may be delayed. If a rainfall or irrigation event does not ameliorate the stress, yield penalties may develop. Cotton plants are particularly susceptible to drought during the early boll development stages which immediately follow flowering (Table 1). Keeping soil profile at or near field capacity at early bloom through peak bloom will support earliness and maximize yields.
Although pressure is currently below average, it is increasing, which is to be expected as we enter the early blooming window. We have limited but good options to control plant bugs in blooming cotton. I often tell folks that if you call me once bloom starts, I’ll often only mention 4-5 products, sometimes in combination. Those include Acephate/Orthene, Diamond, Transform, and Bidrin. Vydate also gets and honorable mention. These are the core products suggested for mid-season plant bug control. Below are some treatment options I like, in no particular order. However, Continue reading
UT Extension is happy to welcome Mr. Christopher R. Narayanan to an Area Farm Management Specialist position that covers eight counties in West Tennessee. Chris joined a team of nine area specialists that serve Tennessee farmers and families with expertise in farm and financial management on July 1st. Continue reading
Scott Stewart will assume the role of Director of the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center on October 1, 2020, following the retirement of current Center Director Bob Hayes. Read the full announcement.
Information regarding cotton management following an off-target auxin event has been requested by several producers in our area. This blog briefly covers factors which can impact the yield penalties associated with auxin injury and best management practices after the injury occurs. Continue reading
Calls continue from some folks frustrated with goosegrass, junglerice and Palmer amaranth escapes after a dicamba + glyphosate application. A large reason for the frustration is the follow-up applications have often provided less control than hoped. Timing is the cause for some of these poor weed control issues. Herbicide resistance is another cause. Continue reading
Weed management is dominating calls to UT Extension specialists this week. Larry Steckel answers those frequently asked questions in this episode. Scott Stewart joins him to discuss insect management issues to look out for as we enter July. Listen.